Mr Dave Chatoor, Pelvic Floor Research Fellow in Colorectal Surgery; University College Hospital, London.
The plan is to compare mothers who suffer from incontinence of wind and waste after childbirth with healthy volunteers. There are two groups of women who cannot control their bowel after having a baby. The first group are mothers who have a tear that extends into the sphincter muscles around the anus. Despite a repair of the torn sphincters at birth, these muscles sometimes do not heal and mothers are left with a defect. The second group are mothers who are in labour for a long time but have no tear. The stretching effect upon the pelvic floor muscles can result in bowel incontinence many years after childbirth.
This study aims to find out more about how these injuries affect muscle function both in the sphincters themselves and in the pelvic floor, so as to discover the best way to measure function and ultimately to treat the condition. In this way, the mechanism of injury can be better clarified so we can provide better treatment in future. The tests involve magnetic imaging during normal pelvic floor function.
This page was last updated on 20-07-2011